Leave My Window Open
by lilgulie5
Summary: Quinn will always leave her window open for Puck. Updated! Chapter 12 added! Puck does something special for Quinn after Senior Ditch Day.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome! I came up with this one shot today because some of us over at the Glee Forum decided that Puck has probably been sneaking into Quinn's window every night and we just haven't been shown that. So I'm dedicating this to all of the Bakers over there in the Bakery who just really want to see Quinn and Puck together. Reviews are always welcomed! Xoxo-Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own glee. **

She waits. Impatiently, she checks the clock on her phone for what must be the tenth time that night and paces the floor of her bedroom. She thinks he should be there by now and begins to wonder if he decided not to come after all. He's been gone for almost a month, so maybe he doesn't need to anymore, or maybe he just doesn't want to. She could text him but she doesn't want to seem desperate, even though she is, and she is too afraid of what his response would be.

She pulls her soft fleece blanket tighter to shield herself from the November chill and glances out her window, down to the backyard. What little ivy is left covering the trellis that runs up the side of her house is turning brown and she thinks that's a good thing because then her mother will stop questioning, at least for awhile, why there seems to be a bare spot in the foliage leading up to her window. She knows her mother probably suspects but isn't surprised by her silence. No matter what they've _both_ been through in the past year, they're still very good at hiding their true feelings.

She tries not to think about her feelings very much. They complicate things, they always have. Sometimes, she thinks it would just be easier to not feel anything at all, to just be numb. She wouldn't have to feel bad, or guilty, or regretful, she could just _be_. She guesses that's why being with Sam is so easy. It doesn't hurt, it's not hard, it's not scary, but there's something missing, a void that the nice boy with a kind heart and a big smile just can't fill. There's no danger, it's not reckless, there's no passion and she thinks, no, she _knows_ that the only times she has felt that way has been when she's with _him_, with his telling smirk, dark eyes and strong arms that she wishes she could be held in forever.

She thinks he's not coming and crouches down by the side of her bed, the same way she has done more times than she would like to count in the past month, lifting up the dust ruffle to reach underneath and pulls out a box. She sits back and crosses her legs before slowly removing the lid and digging through its contents of ticket stubs, amusement park wrist bands, a glow stick, postcards, and various pictures until she finds what she was looking for at the very bottom. It's a photo, they only one she had of just the two of them, but there is a third person in the picture as well. She really hadn't remembered taking it, but then again, she didn't remember much from that day, or didn't want to. They were both smiling, real smiles, although she knows hers hid traces of sadness behind it.

"_Did you love me?"_

"_Yes, especially now."_

She's pulled from her memories when she hears a soft thud fall on the floor behind her and looks over her shoulder to see his form coming through the open window. She's off the carpet and in his arms before he even has both feet in the room and he chuckles softly against her hair.

"Missed you, too, babe," he says quietly.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

"Sorry, it was hard to get away tonight. Fuckers took my license."

"How'd you get here?" she asks, looking up at him.

"Don't worry about it," he replies, but of course, she does. He sees the concern etched across her face and leans down to kiss her. It's his favorite way of changing the subject when he's with her and it's always effective.

"You look tired."

"I haven't had a decent night's sleep in a month."

"Neither have I," she confides and reaches up to kiss his chin. Without another word, he quickly changes into the sweat pants she keeps hidden in her bottom desk drawer and joins her on the bed. He doesn't ask her about Sam and she doesn't ask him about juvie or Santana and they're both grateful for that. It's not that they don't know, they just don't find it to be relevant at the moment. They've never been very great at the whole _talking_ thing so why should they start now? They're together again and that's really all they care about. He gathers her to himself and reaches over to shut off the lamp on her nightstand.

"Night Quinn," he says, kissing the top of her head.

"Night Puck," she replies, slipping her arms around him.

She doesn't think about their past. She doesn't think about their future. He's here and, for now, she thinks that's enough. She'll always leave her window open because, no matter what, just like tonight, he'll always come back.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Welcome! Thank you so much for the reviews! So I said this would be a one shot, but after tonight I just wanted to add something else to it. Let's just think of this as "What happened after Sectionals were over", shall we? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. **

She's huddled on the middle of her bed, knees pulled up under her chin, when he climbs through her open window late that night. He doesn't think anything of it at first. It's the end of November and the open window let's in a lot of cold air. When she looks up at him and he steps closer he can see that her cheeks are tear-stained as she wipes them with her sleeve. He's a little taken aback. He thought she was past crying every night. In fact, she hadn't cried herself to sleep since August and he's grateful for that. He hates seeing her cry because he can't stand to see her in pain.

"Hey," he whispers as he sits on the edge of the bed. "Quinn, are you OK?"

"Yes," she replied, clearing her throat. "No. I don't know."

"You can tell me. If you want to. I mean… you don't_ have_ to."

She sighs because that is _exactly_ typical of him. He gets her. He can read her like a book in a way that no one else can, including _him._ Though others would disagree, the boy sitting on her bed, resting his hand on her foot is totally selfless when it comes to her. He's always trying to make sure that _she's_ OK. She should be OK. She should feel great. She managed to make it through the performance without messing up- because God knows Rachel would _never_ let her live it down if she had- and they were advancing to Regionals. Everything was perfect, but not really.

"Sam and I went out to eat afterwards," she began. He nods to let her know that he's listening and tries not to roll his eyes. He doesn't really want to hear about Sam. They never really talk about him when they're alone and the fact that she brought up her boyfriend is a little more than unsettling for him. "When he dropped me off he…he told me that he loved me."

"That's ummm," he tries and looks away. He's been waiting for this moment for awhile now. He knew that what they had was too good to last. He couldn't climb in her window forever, eventually she would move on. "Sam's a good dude, you know, so that's good for you guys. I should probably go then."

"No, wait."

She watches him as he turns around, his eyes looking everywhere except into her own, and stands still. She knew this would happen. She's been waiting for it for awhile now but she still doesn't quite feel prepared. She sits up and kneels on the edge of the bed, the blanket from around her shoulders falling haphazardly onto the coverlet.

"Please don't go."

"Why shouldn't I?" he shrugs, trying not to sound angry.

"Because you didn't let me finish," she explains. "When he told me, I…I didn't say it back. I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"You _know_ why."

"No, I don't," he insists and takes a step closer towards her again. He wants to hear her say it because he thinks it's only fair. They've never talked about it since that night in May but now he wants to hear her say it more than anything else.

"I couldn't say it because it would be a lie," she whispers and takes a ragged breath. "I don't love him. I love you."

When he finally regains control of his senses and looks at her, she's crying and he doesn't even think before he's wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

"You know I love you," he says into her hair.

"Especially now?" she asks and allows herself to remember that day.

"Yeah, then, now, yesterday, tomorrow, all of it. What about Sam?"

"I don't want to think about that right now. I just want you."

Later on, she sighs contentedly as he pulls the blankets tighter around them and kisses her bare shoulder. They're both fighting against sleep even though it's close to one in the morning.

"So what took you so long?" he asks, absentmindedly twirling a strand of her hair around his finger.

"I don't know. I was scared, I guess."

"Of what? Of me?"

"No, of course not you," she says kissing his chest. "Of myself? I was _that_ girl for so long, the head bitch it charge, and then, in the blink of an eye, I wasn't. I felt like I should have missed it more and so when I had the chance to be _her_ again I thought I had to try, but I was wrong. I'm not her anymore. I can never be her again because of _you_. You've always been here for me, even when I didn't deserve it."

"That's because I knew you'd eventually come around," he jokes smugly. "I mean, who could resist this for so long?"

"There's that charm that won me over," she laughs sarcastically.

They whisper, laugh, kiss and love even later into the night and before she knows it, the sun is coming up and her alarm is telling them that he has to leave. She watches him climb out the window from her place in the bed and smiles when her phone buzzes with a text message from him minutes later that reads: _So does this mean I get to start using the stairs?_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 3! Thank you so much for all of the reviews for the last two chapters! I thought I was just going to leave this as a one shot but little ideas just keep popping into my head. Another shout out to everyone in the Bakery (you know who you are!) because that's where this story was born. I hope you all enjoy this! Xoxo-Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

"Are you cold?" Puck asks and draws Quinn closer to himself.

"Not anymore," she replies and laces her fingers through his. He notices that she never wears _the_ ring when she's just with him but it always reappears when she's at school.

"Are you tired?"

"Not yet."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I'm pretty content with just lying here right now."

"I love you," he offers and she smiles because she doesn't think that she will ever get tired of hearing it.

"I love you, too," she echoes and turns over to lie on her stomach so that her chin is resting on his chest. So far, it has been the perfect night. Puck had snuck over not long after the glee club had left Mr. Schue's and had come into her room a cold and snowy mess, with red hands and white flakes stuck all over the front of his coat and jeans along with some clinging to his boots.

"It's fucking freezing out there," he had cursed as he rubbed his hands together for warmth.

"Oh my God," she replied, immediately leaving her bed. "Don't you have a hat and gloves? A scarf?"

"That shit's for pussies, not Puckasaurus."

"Whatever, I'm telling you, pneumonia is _so_ last year."

"This is bullshit, Santa never had to climb a fucking trellis."

"Well, neither did you," Quinn said quietly, biting her lip and averting her gaze.

"What?" he asked, pausing from blowing on his numb fingers.

"I thought you were going to text when you were on your way. My mom's out of town."

"But her car's in the driveway."

"She went on some big shopping trip to Cleveland with the Rosary club from church. They took a big bus."

"So, I could have just walked right in?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Oh, you're gonna be sorry alright," Puck said deviously as he grabbed onto her with his ice cold grip, causing her to laugh and plead with him to stop until they were both wet and chilled to the bone.

"Look at us!" Quinn giggled and shivered at the same time. "Look at what you did."

"Let me make it up to you," he smiled, already shrugging off his coat and shucking off his boots as he took a step towards her.

"It looks like you already have something in mind," she observed playfully.

"I've had this in mind all damn day. Come here."

XXX

"Since you're mom's out of town, does that mean that I don't have to sneak out in the morning?" he asks and tucks a stray hair behind her ear.

"Yes, and I expect breakfast in bed."

"Hey, I can cook and stuff. I made those cupcakes last year and bacon when my mom wasn't home, remember?"

"Yeah," she replies and sadness flashes across her face when she thinks about _last year_.

"You OK, babe?" Puck asks as she shifts away and sits up in bed. He moves to join her and places a soft kiss next to her ear. They've never spoken about _her_ before but he feels like they're dangerously close now.

"I'm fine," she tells him, forgetting that he can always see through her fake smiles and lies.

"Quinn, we don't have to talk about her if you're not ready, but I'll be here when you are. I'm going through this, too."

She's quiet for a few long moments before she decides to speak again, turning her head slightly towards him.

"Do you think she's celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah?"

"What?"

"I mean, I don't even know what Shelby is, but Rachel's Jewish so maybe she is, too."

"Maybe she gets to do both," he suggests. He really doesn't want to push things but he feels like they're making some progress so he urges her on gently.

"I hope she does because then she'd have something from both of us. I love Christmas."

"I know you do. Remember last year? I sat through _White Christmas _with you."

"Twice, and then you went out and bought me peppermint ice cream."

"With marshmallows and chocolate syrup," he says, wrinkling his nose at the memory.

"Shut your face, it was good."

"Do you remember how you used to joke that your belly was your ice cream shelf? The bowl fit, like, perfectly on there."

"That was _you_ who called it that," Quinn reminds him.

"Oh yeah, but you thought it was funny."

"Do you think we could have done it?" she asks him suddenly. He doesn't need to ask what she's referring to. He _knows_, just like he knows everything about her. Still, he's unsure of how to answer so he decides to go with that new thing their trying out called honesty.

"Yeah, we _could_ have," he begins and she shuts her eyes tight and leans against him a bit. "But it wouldn't be right."

"Why not? You said you loved me then, maybe if I just would have said it back we could have done it. You wanted to keep her, I know you did."

"So did you. I don't care what you said then, I'm talking about what I know."

"Sometimes, I think people don't think I love her," Quinn whispers.

"They're fucking stupid. Sometimes, I think you love her more because you could see what I couldn't. You were brave enough to give her the life she deserves. Could we have done it? Sure. You can take a test before you're ready, doesn't mean it's going to turn out good. I think now that I was selfish in wanting to keep her. I just wanted to prove to everyone that I could do something right, but it isn't about _me_, it's about _her._"

"I think about her all the time. You know, when I went to Breadstix with Sam for the first time he said he knew what it was like to have a secret you're ashamed of. At first, I thought it was nice, but then I realized that I don't want to feel ashamed of her."

"You shouldn't. You regret mistakes you make. I don't care what people say, I can't look at her as a mistake."

"Neither can I," Quinn smiles faintly. "I think of who I was before and who I am now and I almost don't even recognize that girl. She taught me so much about life and love."

"Maybe…maybe we could write to her and tell her all of this. We don't even have to send it now if you don't want to, but we could someday…just to let her know."

"I really like that idea. Before she was born, I would write little letters to her in a notebook. They were all different. Sometimes they were just thoughts, sometimes they were pages long, sometimes they were about things you said. I didn't really write it for her, I wrote it for me, but I want to write to her."

"Good. Maybe we could write it tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but you have to do something with me after."

"What's that?" Puck asks curiously.

"You have to watch _White Christmas_ with me. It's our Christmas tradition."

"You got it, but next year we're starting some Hanukkah ones, too."

"Deal," Quinn agrees and kisses his cheek, wrapping her arms around his neck. Puck gently lays them back onto the bed and she settles into him comfortably. She wishes that her mom would go out of town more often because there is something wonderful about knowing that it's alright to close her eyes and sleep because he's going to be there when she wakes up. Even though she knows that _somehow_ he's always been there for her when she needs him, the thought is still a pleasant one.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 4! Thanks to everyone who has read the first three chapters and to everyone who reviewed as well! The encouragement is appreciated. This chapter actually has a reference to one of my other stories, "Cold Outside", and I think I decided that I am just going to leave that one as a two shot and keep going with this one since they both pretty much have the same end goal (and honestly it was getting hard for me to keep the storylines straight/separate!). Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Xoxo-Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own glee**

They've become masters at being quiet. Most of the time he slips through her window, onto her bed and into her arms without a single word passing between the two of them. Then there are the times they just can't help it. He find just the right spot or she rolls her hips in the most perfect way and they're both certain that her mother will burst through the door at any moment and they'll be found out. The funny thing is that it _never_ makes them stop or keeps them from doing it all over again a few nights later. In fact, she's almost sure that sometimes, he _wants_ to get caught and she's not so sure that she doesn't.

She thinks her mom would have to be an idiot to not know there was at least a spark between them again, except it isn't a spark at all, it's a full-fledged wildfire. On Christmas Eve, when she returned from mass to find him waiting for her, they had laughed at the stunned look on her mom's face when she came down the stairs and saw him earlier, the Jewish boy who knocked up her daughter, standing there with a tiny Christmas tree in his hands.

"Noah, what are you doing here?" she had questioned.

"Quinn left this at my house last year and I thought she might like it back," she replied honestly. He wanted to add, _and it would be a bitch to carry up the trellis_, but controlled his urge.

"Well, umm, that was nice of you," Judy added, but her tone implied that she didn't _really_ think so. "Quinny, we have to leave soon. You know I like to get there early for the carols. I see you've grown your mohawk back, Noah."

_Yeah and your daughter loves to grab it when I fuck her…in her bed…in your house_, he thought, but curbed himself yet again and simply nodded.

"Right, mom," Quinn stepped in quickly before someone said something they shouldn't have.

"It's cool. I gotta get home anyway. I'll see you in a couple of days," he said, but his eyes and smile said _tonight_.

She was surprised her mom didn't make her go to confession that night just for _talking_ to him. _If she only __knew__,_ she smiled on the car ride home.

She knows that he wants to tell people and so does she. There's nothing she wants more than to be able to walk down the hallway hand in hand with him, to have him pull her into the janitor's closet and hoist her up onto the counter. At school, they're cordial to one another. It's best if they don't talk and better if they don't even look because it's their looks that _always_ give them away.

She doesn't know that he's obviously told his mom _something_ until one day over break when she spent the day watching movies with him while he babysat his sister. Ruth came home from work and didn't seem the least bit surprised to find them on the couch, his arm slung around her shoulder, he head against his chest.

"How much does she know?" she asked later that night.

"Enough not to worry about me every night," he shrugged.

"She knows you come over here? What did she say?"

"She'd rather have tit be you than Santana."

"Comforting."

He wants her to tell her mom so badly that she picked him over the blonde bombshell, but he knows he shouldn't push her. She's promised to do it when they go back to school and for a few days he supposes that's good enough.

It's shameless but he's been doing things lately that could blow their cover. He comes over earlier in the night and leaves later in the morning, drops his boots loudly on the floor, does things on purpose to make her throw her head back against the pillows and arch her back while at the same time trying to resist the pull of her hand on his neck so that she can cover her lips-and the sound coming from them- with his own. What he doesn't realize is that it's starting to upset her.

"Knock it off," she hisses at him.

"No, I like it when you make that face," he whispers back and does the same thing, _again_, causing her to give him a shove and crawl off the bed, taking a blanket with her.

"What's your problem?" she questions him in a very hushed tone. If it's possible she is both yelling and whispering at the same time. "Do you _want_ my mother to hear us?"

They don't fight, ever, but he can tell she is genuinely ticked off with him. Still, he's sort of pissed, too and feels that he has every right to be.

"Yeah, maybe I do."

"Don't be an asshole."

"Don't be a bitch," he counters.

"Maybe you should leave."

"Maybe you should tell your mom."

"Those statements are unrelated. Even if I told her, it's not like she would let you sleep over."

"I told my mom."

"That's different."

"Right, because I'm not ashamed of you."

"I'm not ashamed of you. I just don't want my mom to think I'm cheating on Sam. She likes him."

"Oh, and what's _not_ to like? He's popular, good looking, dresses up well, never got sent to juvie, and I bet he loves Jesus, too."

"I don't love him. I love you," she tried to reason.

"Exactly. You don't love him so you can't be cheating on him. If anything, it's like…you're cheating on me."

"I am not."

"Break up with him," he demands for the first time. Until then, he was content with letting her make that call.

"Not over the phone, for the tenth time. I don't love him, I'm not wearing his ring anymore _at all_, and I haven't even talked to him in the past two days. I love _you_, I have to hide _your_ stupid hickey on my collarbone, I talk to _you_ every day and I can't sleep without _you._"

She thinks she's successfully defused the situation when his shoulders sag slightly and his face softens.

"Can you blame me for wanting you all to myself?"

"No," she admits and climbs back onto the bed, wrapping her blanket-clad arms around him. "But you've got me. Would it make you feel better if I tell my mom that I _want_ to break it off with Sam?"

"You don't have to," he says, nuzzling her hair.

"I want to."

"Love you."

"I love you, too," she replies and reaches up to kiss him. He's never been great with the whole _being patient_ thing, but he thinks he can wait it out for a few more days because it's all totally worth it.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 5! Thank you for all of the reviews on the last four chapters! I'm so glad you guys enjoy the story because I really like writing shorter chapters for this fic! I'd like to dedicate this chapter especially as a holiday present to everyone over in the Bakery! Merry Quickmas! I hope you all like it! Xoxo-Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own glee. **

They have their first actual close call on New Year's night. They had spent New Year's Eve together, sort of, at a big party at Mike Chang's house. Somehow, no one noticed that they had both gone missing moments before the clock struck midnight so that they could ring in the new year together in the privacy of an unoccupied bedroom.

He left the party first, citing its lameness and the lack of anything really good to drink. She practically counted out the ten minutes in her heard and then excused herself by saying that she had a brunch to go to the next morning with her mother, which wasn't a lie. Her real lie was twofold. The part she told her friends about going home was a lie and she was lying when she told her mom that she would be spending the night at Mercedes' house. In reality, she drove to his house and spent the night in his bed for the first time in nearly eight months.

"I thought about making you climb into _my_ window," he had said when he opened the front door for her. "See how _you_ like it."

"This is our second New Year's together," she mused, recalling the previous year that was spent babysitting his sister and drinking sparkling grape juice.

"You kissed me."

"It was New Year's Eve. Everyone should have someone to kiss at midnight."

"Oh, I'm not complaining," he chuckled and pulled her to his bedroom.

He begged her to stay the next morning but she refused, saying her mother would skin her alive if she missed brunch with some of their family's closest 'friends'. He pulled her towards him by the drawstring of her sweatpants as they stood by his front door and kissed her one last time before letting her go with the promise that he would see her that night.

She decided to take the opportunity of being stuck in the car with her mom for a half an hour on the way home to tell her about her intention to end things with her boyfriend.

"Mom," she said evenly. "I think I need to break up with Sam."

"What, Quinny? Why? Sam's such a nice boy. He's on the football team."

"I know, I just…don't think he's right for me."

"Honey, what's bringing all of this on?"

"Well, he went out of town for break and-."

"Exactly. I'm sure once you two are back in school together and see one another, you'll forget all about this."

"No, listen. It's weird and I feel bad, but I don't think we're together for the right reasons. Yeah, he's cute and popular and can sing, but besides that, I just don't feel like we have much in common and I don't feel like that's enough anymore."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Noah Puckerman coming over the other night, would it?"

"What?" she asked, not sure how much she wanted to reveal at that time.

"Oh, you _must_ have seen the way he looked at you when he brought over that ridiculous looking little tree. Poor boy obviously still hasn't been about to put the past behind him."

"Maybe he doesn't want to."

"I should think with a past like_ his_, he would want to bury it," her mother replied.

"There is a _lot_ you don't know about him, mom. He's not a bad guy at all."

"Sweetie, nice boys don't go to juvie."

"You don't know the whole story."

"I know enough, Quinn and I'm telling you right now, if you're even _thinking_ about anything with that boy, end it before it starts."

_Too late,_ she thought as she stared out the window.

He drives over to her house a little past ten, parks his truck around the block and walks quickly through the dark neighborhood. It's colder than it has been lately and he's shoves his hand into his pockets to keep them warm. He smiles when he sees the window pushed ajar just a bit and sends her a text that he's almost there. There are signs of movement and flashes of shadows as he takes the first step up the ice and snow laden trellis and he figures she'll be waiting by the window to let him in. When he's about halfway up, he thinks he hears her TV or radio but quickly realizes that the voices are more familiar and he stops his ascent to listen more closely.

"You haven't eaten anything tonight."

"I'm not hungry," he hears her reply and notes the hints of agitation in her voice.

"I don't like how we left things earlier."

"I don't like what you said."

"I just don't think you've given this enough thought."

"I have and I'm breaking up with Sam," she replies resolutely.

His hands are starting to burn and tingle from the cold and he thinks he should have taken her advice and gotten some gloves. He can tell she's doing her best to make her mom leave.

"I'm very serious about what I said regarding Noah."

His ears perk up again when he hears his name and he stops thinking about how quickly a person can get frostbite in weather like this.

"Really? I thought you were joking when you said that you don't want me around him," she said sarcastically.

"All I'm asking you to do is to look at how far you've come since last year. Getting involved with someone like Noah would just bring you down."

"I get your point."

"I just don't want to see you make the same mistake twice."

"What did you say?" she asks.

He starts to wish that they would wrap up their little conversation because his knuckles are getting stiff and he is starting to lose feeling in his fingers. If they keep it up for much longer, he's worried that he will lose his grip and fall. He also knows that Quinn's mother just used a nearly unforgiveable word.

"Quinny, I just meant that-."

"My daughter is _not_ a mistake and neither is Puck."

It's hard for him to fight the urge to climb up to the window, hop into the room and tell Mrs. Fabray off, but Quinn seemed to be doing a pretty decent job of that at the moment.

"The only _mistake_ I made was letting you and dad control who I should and shouldn't love and I'm done doing that. I'm breaking up with Sam whether you like it or not. End of story."

"I can't stop you from breaking up with Sam, but I'm still your mother and you will still follow _my_ rules, am I clear?"

"Crystal," she replies, looking her mother dead in the eyes, neither one of them flinching.

"Good, now I have to go finish the newsletter for the Ladies' Auxiliary meeting tomorrow. Don't stay up to late."

"Oh, I won't."

As soon as her mother leaves the room, closing the door behind her, she sneaks over to the widow. She opens it the rest of the way and looks down to see him, still clinging to the trellis, shivering with cold.

"I thought she would never leave," he whispers up to her as he starts to move again.

"I'm so sorry," she replies quietly and helps him into the room. "I _told_ you that you needed gloves."

"I know, I know."

She takes him into the small bathroom that is conveniently attached to her room and begins to run some warm water into the sink. He's still freezing but discards his jacket onto the floor and tries to push up his sleeves so that he can dip his hands into the water. She disappears back into her bedroom to retrieve a warm blanket from the foot of her bed and drapes it over his shoulders, hugging him tightly from behind.

"You thought _my_ mom was bad because she wouldn't let you eat bacon, but at least she likes you."

"My mom doesn't know you as anyone other than the boy who got me pregnant and went to juvie."

"Doesn't sound like she wants to make much of an effort to get to know me," he points out and begins to dry off his hands.

"Well, she can get over that really fast," she says plainly. "I may not be bringing you home for dinner the day I break up with Sam, but I don't want to hide you away for much longer. I _want_ to be able to tell people that _you're_ my boyfriend and have you be able to walk through my front door."

"What about at night?" he asks, smirking as he meets her gaze in the mirror.

"That can't be helped. My mom would still _never_ let you spend the night, _especially_ if she knew we were dating."

"As long as I get to call you mine, I'll climb through that window every fucking night," he says and turns around to face her.

"As if I was ever _really_ anyone else's," she smiles and leads him toward her bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 6! I know I waited a LONG time to update but I wanted to see a little bit how the show would deal with things after the hiatus. Here is my take on Valentine's day (a day late, sorry!) but I hope you enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or "Secret Valentine" by We The Kings.**

He drops Lauren off at her house. There was no _macking_ whatsoever and as soon as she got out of the car, the lovesick puppy look is gone from his face in an instant. He likes her. She's a nice girl, but she's also the perfect cover and the best way to throw off Santana, just like Finn had been the perfect cover for Quinn. Unfortunately, the Finn and Quinn part had backfired more than slightly when they both ended up with mono. _Whoops_, he thinks guiltily as he turns a corner.

Were they wrong for using Finn and Lauren the way they were? Yeah, probably, but things at school had been kind of weird since Finn and Rachel broke up. Quinn hadn't broken up with Sam yet and all of a sudden the star quarterback's attention fell on his ex-girlfriend. Needless to say, things were a convoluted mess. If he thought about the whole situation for too long, his head started to hurt. For the time being, they had decided to continue to lie low.

"Just for a little bit longer," she had promised him the night they had won the conference championship football game.

"Fine," he had agreed. He's waited that long so what was a few more weeks. She had come to him crying after she made out with Finn, repeating over and over again into his shirt how much she felt like a cheater. He calmly reassured her, with great effort on his part, that he knew where he heart was.

"Besides," he added. "What reason do I have to be jealous of _Finn_? He sure as hell isn't getting into _anyone's_ pants anything soon."

In an almost cruel, _no, definitely cruel,_ twist of fate, she had started to get sick the next day at school and as it turned out, _he_ wasn't getting into anyone's pants anytime soon either.

_Karma's a bitch,_ he thinks as he parks his car, grabs the bag and backpack out of the backseat and walks down the street. He pulls his phone from his coat pocket and shoots her a text message saying that he's almost there. From his spot on the sidewalk, he can see the warm glow from her window and his heartbeat speeds up slightly.

"We have a problem," he receives her message in reply. "My mom came in and closed my window. Said I was crazy to have it open when I'm sick."

_P: Shit. Is it still unlocked?_

_Q: Yeah, I think so._

_P: Don't worry about me._

_This is going to be fun_, he laughs to himself as he quietly climbs the familiar terrace. When he reaches the top he takes the bag in his teeth and digs into his pocket to fish out his keys. He finds the flattest one and jimmies it under the window, pushing up at same time. Slowly, the window slides up enough for him to wedge a few fingers of his left hand under, lifting it up the rest of the way. He shoves his keys back into his coat pocket and shimmies through the window and into the room. He sees her lying on the bed facing him with a faint smile on her lips. Her eyes look heavy and tired, her hair is a bit of a mess and she clears her throat.

"Sorry," she says in a strained voice.

"Hey," he replies with a grin as he slides off his sneakers and walks towards the bed. "It's all good."

"I feel terrible."

"I know, but I brought you something."

She lifts her head curiously and attempts to push herself up, but she's just so sore and exhausted. He notices right away and gently helps her scoot up on the bed. It's unusual for her to look so weak and he's not used to it, but he's glad that she accepts his help without protest. She waits patiently for him to take off his backpack and coat before he takes a seat on the bed next to her.

"What'd you bring me?"

"Soup from Breadstix," he replies, taking it from the bag. "I hope it's still warm."

"I'm not really hungry," she says truthfully. This stupid mono has completely killed any appetite she has. She immediately regrets her words when she watches his face fall. He had done something incredibly sweet and thoughtful for her and she just made him feel like crap. _God, I'm such a bitch_, she thinks before reaching over to take the container from his hand. "But I really should try and eat something. This was really sweet of you."

"My mom said soup would be good for you. You should try and build up your strength."

She manages to finish about half of the soup, which satisfies him. He didn't expect her to be able to finish it and he knows she only ate as much as she did to try and make him happy.

"Some Valentine's Day, huh?" she mutters sarcastically. "I feel and look like crap and I can't get out of bed."

"You don't look like crap," he replied obediently, but truthfully. He wonders if it's possible for her to ever look like shit. He's seen her in labor and even when she was hot, sweating, grimacing and cursing his name she still looked far from terrible. "And it's not an awful night. It's not exactly what I planned, though."

"What did you plan?"

"I dunno…just go somewhere out of town or something so we could be alone. I'd play this song I heard for you. It's pretty fitting, actually,"

"What's it called?"

"_Secret Valentine_," he says and smirks when she laughs a bit. "I told you it was fitting."

"I wish I could have listened to you play it. I love it when you sing."

"I know. I noticed during _Fat Bottomed Girls_. You weren't so subtle, babe."

"You were practically grinding on me," she points out.

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it."

"Fine."

"I could play it on my iPod for you."

He finds his iPod in the bottom of his backpack and sets it up to play the song. She takes one of the ear buds from him and places it in her ear as he does the same. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he pulls her closer to him and the music starts to play.

_Soft kiss and wine  
What a pretty friend of mine  
We're finally intertwined  
Nervous and shy for the moment we will come alive  
Tonight  
Secret valentine_

We'll write a song  
That turns out the lights  
When both boy and girl start suddenly shaking inside  
Don't waste your time  
Speed up your breathing  
Just close your eyes  
We'll hope it's for nothing at all

Lay down, be still  
Don't worry talk they will  
I'll be loving you until  
Morning's first light  
Breaks tomorrow  
I'll take care of you tonight

We'll write a song  
That turns out the lights  
When both boy and girl start suddenly shaking inside  
Don't waste your time  
Speed up your breathing  
Just close your eyes  
We'll hope it's for nothing at all  
Nothing at all

When guilt fills your head  
Brush off rise up from the dead  
This is the moment that we will come alive  
Brace yourself for love  
Sweet love, secret love

We'll write a song that turns out the lights  
When both boy and girl start suddenly shaking inside  
Don't waste your time  
Speed up your breathing  
Just close your eyes  
We'll hope it's for nothing at all  
(We'll write a song)  
That turns out the lights  
When both boy and girl start suddenly shaking inside  
Don't waste your time  
Speed up your breathing  
Just close your eyes  
We'll hope it's for nothing at all  
Nothing at all

"Wow," she says when the song ends. "That was pretty perfect for us. I loved it."

"Told you," he replied and puts the iPod back in his bag. "I've got one more thing to give you for Valentine's Day."

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"Well, I've seen all these key pendant necklaces in the store, but they're all pretty expensive so I went looking for something I could afford and I found this."

He holds a small box out to her and she opens it, revealing an older, vintage-looking key on a chain.

"Oh Puck," she breathes, fingering the tarnished metal.

"If you don't like it, I can take it back. It's just from some antique store my mom made to go with her to."

"I love it."

"You do?"

"Yeah," she confirms. "I mean, just think about it. This has a history to it. It has a story."

"Kinda like us, huh?" he says, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," she replies and covers his hand with her own. "I might have something for you, too."

"Oh really?"

"It's in the little black baggy on my nightstand. Can you reach it?"

He leans over and finds the baggy right away, curiously opening it and dumping the contents into his hand. A cool, small piece of metal falls out and he lifts it up to get a closer look at what is engraved in the middle. It's a stainless steel guitar pick with the simple letters _P+Q_ in the very center of it.

"This is so cool. I'm almost afraid to play with it because I don't want to lose it or something, but I'll always have it in my pocket with me."

Setting their gifts back on her nightstand, he bends down to kiss her briefly before she places a hand on his chest and gently pushes his away.

"Wait, I don't want you to get sick, too."

"Babe, please, I'm Puckasaurus. If Santana is immune to it, don't you think that I am, too? Who do you think gave it to her all of those times before?"

"I'd still feel awful if you got it," she says sincerely.

"Fine, but that doesn't mean I'm leaving. It's Valentine's Day and I want to be with you even if I can't be _with_ you like that."

"I think that's one of the sweetest things you've ever said."

"Yeah? Well don't let that get out. I have a reputation to uphold."

"I think we're doing a pretty good job at keeping some things a secret."

"I gotta admit, as much as I want everyone to know we're together, there's something cool about it being a secret. Something….I dunno, special."

"Yeah, it's like it's just all about us and not about anyone else."

"Happy V-day, Quinn," he says, kissing her slightly warm forehead.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Puck," she replied, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. He changes his clothes quickly, thankful that her mom has never found the secret stash of sweat pants and t-shirts that she keeps in her bottom desk drawer. She makes a little more room for him on the bed while she waits, moving her sore body as much as she can. She realizes that he's the only guy she's ever been with on Valentine's Day. Her parents never let her officially date anyone until high school and she and Finn hadn't gotten together until the end of freshman year. The previous year she had been with Puck in their pseudo-sort of- relationship. She smiles at the memory or opening a Styrofoam take home container that held a bacon cheeseburger that he had tried so hard to cut into the shape of a heart. She knows that contrary to popular belief, he does make an effort when things are important to him. When he comes out of the bathroom he flicks off her lamp and climbs into his side of her bed. Instinctively, they settle into one another, pulling blankets, intertwining limbs, until they both get comfortable. It's the same routine each and every night and he knows she's ready to sleep when she releases a light sigh and he can feel her breath fall into an even pattern across his arm.

"I love you," he says because it never gets old and he's never meant it more.

"I love you, too," she replies with equal emotion and a full heart.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Chapter 7! Yay! Thanks so much for all of the reviews for the last chapter. After I wrote that one, I didn't know if I would need to write another one, but after last night's episode, I figured we needed to fix a few things. Here's my take on how I wished things would have happened! I hope you all enjoy it! Please review if you feel the urge to do so! Xoxo- Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own glee.**

"Joining the celibacy club? Don't you think that was a little much?" she asks him as she peppers kisses across his chest.

"Hey, you joined up again, so why couldn't I? Although after what we just did and what we've been doing, I'm not sure either of us belongs there," he jokes. "I used it as an excuse to get close to you last year."

"You're pretty close to me right now," she smiles up at him.

"Yeah," he replies, kissing her nose. "But I wanna be close to you at school, too."

"Aren't you afraid Lauren will get jealous?"

"No. Are you afraid of making Finn jealous?" he asks and immediately wonders if he shouldn't have.

Just as he had kept up his relationship with Lauren, she kept her flirtation with Finn. It was weird and strange and messed up in so many ways and on so many levels, but it worked for them, at least for awhile. Initially, things had been OK, she could handle it with Finn because she knew who she would be with each night and she knew that he was the one she loved. Unfortunately, things weren't so simple anymore.

She knew she should never had told Finn that her mom would be gone all afternoon, but she had no idea that he would suggest that he should come over. Reluctantly, she had agreed and somehow, they made it up to her bedroom. She smiled and did exactly what she had become so good at doing: she lied.

She lied when she told him that his kisses felt good. She lied when she told him that it was about so much more than becoming Prom Queen. She lied when she said that Puck had been a mistake; that she wished her first time had been with him and _that_ was when the warning bells started to blare inside of her head and heart. It wasn't right, not at all. It was one thing to flirt with Finn at school, to let him hold her hand and pass her notes, but it was another thing to let him kiss her when all she could think about was Puck and everything _they_ had shared together in that bed. She wasn't being fair to him, even if he said he understood and didn't mind keeping it a secret. It wasn't fair and it needed to end.

"Finn wait," she had said, gently pushing him away.

"Shhh, it's OK," he whispered against her neck. "I won't tell anyone. It won't get back to the celibacy club."

"No, I can't do this. It has nothing to do with the celibacy club," she clarified and sat up.

"I don't get it. I thought you wanted to be with me again."

"I'm sorry Finn, we never meant to hurt you, again."

"Who's _we_," he asked, thoroughly confused. "What's going on, Quinn?"

"I can't be with you and I've just been using you to help my popularity, but if we're being fair, you know the only reason you were with me was to make Rachel jealous."

"Who's _we_," Finn asked again and she averted her eyes. "Just tell me."

"Me and Puck," she said, lifting her head to look him in the eyes.

"What? So after Sam broke up with you it was me and Puck all over again?"

"No. Puck and I, we've been together for awhile."

"How long is _a while_?"

"Well, _officially_ since not long after he got back from juvie."

"And unofficially?" Finn asked, not knowing if he really wanted to find out the answer.

"I don't think I ever stopping wanting to be with him. Finn, I'm so sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you again and that's why I'm ending this."

"I just don't get all of the lying and the secret, Quinn," Finn said.

"Please don't blame Puck. It's all my fault. I wanted to keep it a secret. _I_ thought I was protecting people from getting hurt."

"Epic fail."

"This is why you should be with Rachel. No matter what, I can't love you the way she loves you and I know that you can't love me the way you love her. This isn't fair to anyone. I started it and now I'm ending it."

"You're right," Finn admitted as his shoulders sagged. "I do still love Rachel and I did think that if she say and I together she it would make her feel the same way I felt."

"So go get her back. If you need me to, I'll even tell her that it was all my fault."

"I dunno, maybe I need to be on my own for awhile. So are you going to make Puck run for Prom King with you?" he asked with a sly smile.

"I don't know. It doesn't really seem like his thing. Maybe I'll just run solo."

"Wow, you must really love him," Finn said as they walked down the stairs to her front door.

"Why's that?" she asked.

"Because you're not forcing him to do something he doesn't want to do."

"Finn, are we…OK?"

"Not yet," he replied honestly. "But we will be. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

She sighed in relief as she closed the door. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was doing the right thing. That night she hadn't told him about what happened with Finn when he came into her room later than usual. On top of practicing for Regionals, helping Miss Pillsbury with her botched song, he still had basketball practice and he nearly passed out when he landed on her bed, wrapping his arms around her waist and laying his head on her shoulder. He held her close like he was afraid of losing her or something and she knew that she had to tell him, had to assure him once and for all that she was his, even if it had to wait one more day.

"You know, Finn thinks he gave me this hickey," she says and brushes the hair off of her neck.

"Like he could make a perfect heart shape like this," he scoffs, brushing his lips lightly over the purple spot that shone through her smudged makeup.

"Stop," she giggled. "You'll just make it worse."

"Sorry."

"It was _so_ great of you to bring it up in celibacy club. Were you feeling spiteful? Trying to mark your territory?"

"Both," he says but backtracks. "Come on, you know I don't think of you as my _territory_."

"I know."

"Honestly, it wasn't bad seeing you in school with Sam because I'd catch your eye in the hallway and just know that it was OK. With Finn, it's always like I wonder if you'll think _what if I didn't mess up with Puck, where would we be?"_

"Are you serious?" she asks, sitting up and looking down at him. He shrugs his shoulders and nods somewhat dejectedly.

"You've chosen him over me before," he replies after a moment, absentmindedly tracing a pattern on the bed sheet.

"And _that_ was my greatest mistake ever. _You_ are my first choice. You are what my heart wants and you're my last choice. I don't ever want anyone else. Not Sam. Not Finn. _You_. And that's why I told Finn the truth."

"You did?" he asks looking up at her quickly.

"Yeah, and I owe you an apology. I took advantage of your patience and I wasn't fair to you, to us. Even though you said that you didn't mind keeping us a secret I should never have let you because I don't want you to be my secret. I'm not ashamed that I'm with you. I love you."

"I love you, too," he replies and pulls her back down into his arms, kissing her deeply. "Maybe you should stay home from school tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to have to break up with Lauren now _and_ tell her the truth. Who knows what she'll do."

"I think I'll go. Besides, someone will have to come find you in whatever dumpster she decides to throw you in."

"Good point," he chuckles and recaptures her lips once again as she drapes her arms over his shoulders and brings their bodies even closer together.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Chapter 8! Wow, when we came up with this idea over in the Bakery I **_**never**_** thought it would be 8+ chapters someday. Part of that is because of all of the wonderful people who take the time to read this and review. It means a lot to me and I really appreciate it! Simply put, this is my Regionals chapter. I hope you all enjoy it! Please read and review if you feel so inclined. Xo-Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the song "Ours To Keep" by Kina Grannis**

Timing has never been a friend of theirs. They still haven't told everybody yet. Regionals are at the end of the week and neither of them really wants to stir up a scandal. For once, they'd like to go to a major competition that wasn't surrounded by some sort of drama. They know just how badly revealing secrets can divide a team and so they attempt to put theirs to good use. He tried to write a song that would make Lauren so upset with him that _she_ would want to dump _him_. In all honesty, he thinks that would be the easiest, and safest, route for him. If he can just give her a reason to break up with him, he'd be home free.

She decides to do something a little different. She may not be overly fond of Rachel, but no one could deny how talented she is. She knows that her one-time arch enemy _could _write the song that would snag them the Regionals title if she only had the right motivation. The problem with her terrible songs about headbands and family trees is that there is no real emotion, no pain behind them. Although she feels bad about being such a complete bitch to Rachel, especially the day in the auditorium, but she felt it was a necessary evil. She hadn't expected to become so emotional but when she starts spewing the lies about spending the rest of her life with someone who wasn't Puck, it's impossible _not_ to tear up on the spot. Her comments not only affect her, but they also achieve her desired effect on Rachel who ends up writing a truthful and heartfelt song.

It feels so good to win, he thinks, because now they've proven that they deserve to go to Nationals later in the year. He's sort of happy that they got shuffled around and their Regionals were so much earlier because now they had more time to practice for the biggest competition of all in New York.

She thinks it's awesome that they won, too, but she really has nothing to compare it to. She's never been there, standing on a stage, listening to someone call off every team's name but theirs. No, she doesn't know what it's like to lose…at least not a competition anyway. She's thankful that their Regionals got moved, too but for a different reason. Now, the reason _why_ she wasn't on stage with her team isn't quite as evident, but it's still there. She can feel it like a heavy, empty weight in the pit of her stomach. It causes her to want to seek him out once they get back to school.

He can tell before she even approaches him that she's upset. She sits alone on the bus and everyone else is so happy and oblivious that they barely notice, but _he_ notices. He always does. He isn't even paying attention to Lauren and he only feels a little bad because there's a blonde sitting two rows up and across the aisle who is attempting to conceal the fact that she is wiping her eyes and desperately trying not to fall apart right there.

"I need you," she whispers as he squeezes past her seat, waiting for the others in from of him to exit the bus.

"OK, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"No," she says quietly, shaking her head. "I need you now."

The bus is dark when she places a hand on his elbow but he can see the tears glistening in her eyes. In that moment he doesn't think about Lauren or the fact that anyone might see them when he stops to let her out before him. Neither of them care that a few people notice as they both bypass her car and head for his truck. _Fuck that_, he thinks. They can get the car tomorrow and hand out explanations on Monday.

"My mom thinks I'm staying at Mercedes' tonight," she announces. "I don't want to go home."

"My mom's got the midnight shift and Sara's at my aunt's. We'll go to my house," he replies and she nods her head. They don't speak for the rest of the ride but he reaches over and takes her hand in his own. She appreciates the simple gesture because it sums up why they work. He doesn't push or prod but he's there whenever she needs him and she knows that he's the only person who will ever truly understand her.

He leads her down the familiar path from the driveway to his back door and she follows him up the stairs to his bedroom, closing the door behind him even though no one else is home.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes. "I just…I don't know. I don't feel like sneaking around tonight, whispering so my mom doesn't catch us and I really don't want to wake up to you leaving in the morning."

"Hey, hey," he says in an attempt to calm her down. "It's OK. You know my mom wouldn't say anything, even if she did realize you were here and there's nothing else I'd rather do than to stay with you for as long as possible."

"I thought I would be OK, you know? Her birthday is two months away, but that _stupid_ competition in that auditorium just brought me right back to last year all over again."

"Me too," he says and swallows the lump forming in his throat. He needs to hold it together for her.

"Rachel mentioned her the other day. She knows Shelby adopted Beth, which means that she at least talks to her. What if she visited her? What if she gets to see her and I don't?"

"That's what we chose because it's best for her."

"It's not fair!" she nearly cuts him off, choking on a sob. "Why does our timing suck _so_ badly? Why couldn't we have been just a few years older? If we were in college we could have done it, I know we could have."

"We make our own timing," he says, pulling her into his arms because it's really all he can do. "You're right. In a few years it would be different, but if things didn't happen when they did, we wouldn't be right here right now. We can't play the _what if_ game because it'll kill us."

"I know."

"And think of it this way. Maybe Berry _has_ gotten to see Shelby and maybe someday- maybe not soon, not tomorrow, but someday- if it's cool with them and you want to, we could see her again."

"This is why I love you," she admits, pulling away and wiping her eyes as she looks up at him. "When I'm even just near you, it's like I'm near her, too. Like she's still a part of me."

"Still a part of _us_," he corrects her with a smile as he brushes a stray tear from her cheek. "And she always will be."

She reaches up on her tip toes and kisses him, closing her eyes and losing herself for a moment. When they part she nudges him back until he sits on the foot of his bed and she instructs him to stay right where he is. He watches as she rummages through her purse for her iPod, selecting a song before replacing his with it in the dock on his deck. As the song begins to play, she slides off her shoes and returns to her spot in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

_How does circumstance_

_Seem to cost us every chance_

_At living out the truth in our heats_

_It seems the best laid plans_

_Fall just outside out hands_

_And leave us broken down and far apart_

Her fingers drift down his chest as she hums along and begins to unbutton his black dress shirt, gently pushing it off of his shoulders when she's done.

_But if faith plays a role_

_I know someday _

_I'll hold you in my arms forevermore _

_So let's love like it's ours to keep_

_Love like we've always dreamed_

_And maybe this time _

_The fates will be kind to us _

_So let's love like it's ours to keep_

He hears her breath hitch in her throat when he grabs a hold of the zipper on the back of her dress and tugs in down slowly, keeping his amber eyes locked on her hazel ones as the fabric falls away from her body and onto the floor.

_I wish there was a way_

_That we could somehow stay_

_In this perfect moment in time_

_I'd give up everything_

'_Cause this is all I dreamed about_

_Whenever I'm alone inside my mind_

She bites her lip when he stands up so she can work his belt out of the buckle and unbutton his slacks. They've done this countless times and yet there is something new, something different, something even more intimate than before.

_I pray faith plays a role_

_So that someday_

_I'll hold you in my arms forevermore_

_So let's love like it's ours to keep_

_Love like we've always dreamed_

_And maybe this time _

_The fates will be kind to us_

_So let's love like it's ours to keep_

He lays her down on his bed and joins their lips together once again. His hands are soft and gentle when he runs them over her thighs and under her knees. Her fingers wander across his shoulders and then over his back when he finally leans into her. She can't remember the last time they weren't rushed or near frantic, trying to be together just fast enough so that her mother wouldn't catch them or because they were trying to somehow fit in all of the time they had wasted. This time is so different from all of the other times at her house but she can't explain it. Maybe it's because they used to share his bed and he let her hog all of the cover _and _pillows. Sometimes they laughed late into the night about nothing in particular. Sometimes they fought about stupid things that were no longer relevant. Sometimes he would hold her close and if she closed her eyes tight enough she could imagine a family with him, maybe somewhere far away. She didn't know what they'd be doing, but they'd be happy because they were together.

A tear slides down her warm cheek at the memory. He kisses the salty droplet away and she opens her eyes as he laces their fingers together over her head when he knows they're both so close.

_So let's love like it's outs to keep._

"Puck," she says, breaking the silence first.

"Hmmm?" he mumbles, kissing her forehead.

"You can't sneak into my window anymore and spend the night."

"What? Why not?"

"Because, tomorrow when I go home I'm going to tell my mom we're together."

"I'll come with you," he offers.

"Thanks, but maybe I should tell her alone first. I want to do things right this time. No more sneaking around."

"When are we gonna see each other?"

"I was thinking we could actually spend time together during the day, you know, like normal couples?"

"What's a _normal_ couple?" he asks with a slight chuckle.

"OK, we don't have to be _normal_ but we can call each other on the phone and you can come over," she replies and pauses for a moment. "Well, _I_ can come over to _your_ house, at least."

"I like the sound of that. Sara would like to see you more often around here, too."

"And then we can do that annoying thing where we talk on the phone all night until we're both so tired but we don't want to hang up."

"And then I can just sneak over every once in a while for old time's sake and hop in your window, right?"

"I'm certainly not going to stop you," she smiles, craning her neck to glance up at him. He doesn't say anything in reply but leans down to place a tender kiss on her lips.

_I wanna love you like it's ours to keep. _


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 9! Thanks so much for all of the reviews for the last chapter. This one takes place the day after Regionals. I think there will just be a couple of more chapters after this. All of their friends still don't know about their relationship and I think there needs to be a chapter around Beth's birthday as well. If I get the inspiration and ideas I may write more than that. We'll see! Also, there is a link in my profile to my new tumblr, so come follow me if you want sneak peeks and updates on my stories! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Xoxo- Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. **

She walks through her front door the day after Regionals and drops her duffle next to the stairs on her way to the kitchen. She's so happy, so peaceful and so content all at the same time, but those feelings were usually associated with waking up next to Puck so it's not at all surprising. She's also feeling courageous. Today, she's going to tell her mom that there is nothing going on between her and Finn and that she's with Puck. She's rehearsed her lines in her head, crafting them carefully on her drive home after Puck drove her to school to pick her car up. Unfortunately, the part where her mother is sitting at the kitchen table with a pair of boy's sweatpants and a dark grey football t-shirt folded in front of her must have been left out of her script.

"Hey Mom," she says, trying not to notice them as she opens the fridge. "What have you been up to?"

"Well, I was planning on doing some spring cleaning today and I was washing bed linens when I found these under your pillow," Judy replies, pushing the clothes toward her daughter. "Do you want to tell me what these are?"

_Crap_, she thinks. _That's what I get for being lazy and not putting them back in the drawer. Time to think of a fib fast_.

"My pajamas?" she lies badly.

"These are _yours_? They look like they belong to a boy."

"Well…they did. Puck leant them to me when I was living with him last year and I guess I never gave them back. They're pretty comfy, you know."

"Quinn, if you lie to me one more time, you'll be grounded for a week. So why don't you tell me again, why are Noah Puckerman's clothes in your bed?"

"Because he left them there the other night," she replies honestly, looking her mother in the eye. _Screw it, if she wants the truth, she'll get it._

"Excuse me? I don't understand."

"Which part? Him leaving them in my bed or the fact that he was here the other night?"

"Both."

"I keep some clothes here for him, for when he stays the night."

"Quinn, this isn't a time for you to try out your comedic skills."

"You _wish_ I was joking right now."

"Tell me the truth right now. Are you seeing Noah Puckerman after I told you not to."

"Yes," she answers without skipping a beat.

"For how long?" he mother asks.

"Since before you told me not to."

"You were with Sam," Judy tries to reason. "You're supposed to be going to Prom with Finn. I thought that's what you wanted."

"No, that's what _you_ wanted, Mom."

"So all of that was a lie?"

"Sort of," she says, crossing her arms over her chest, tied of playing the _20 Questions_ game. If she's going to get in trouble, she'd rather just get it over with at this point. "We weren't ready, _I_ wasn't ready, to tell everyone that we were together again so we kept up appearances at school and did our own thing outside of it."

"And you just decided to deliberately disregard what I told you? When did you start acting that way?"

"When I finally realized what I want, what really makes me happy."

"I just don't understand why on earth you would want to be with someone like _him_. After everything you went through last year, don't you just want to put it all behind you and forget about it?"

"_That,_ right there!" she said and starts to lose her calm, controlled composure. "It's one thing to want to move on with my life but I don't want to forget; I _can't_ forget. No one else understands the way I feel except for him. I thought that last year he just wanted to be with me because he felt obligated and so I wasted so much time, but I'm not doing that anymore. I'm sorry, but I'm done pleasing everyone but myself."

"I just don't understand why you couldn't tell me."

_Is she kidding?_ She thinks to herself. What was she supposed to tell her mother? _Oh Mom, btw, but Puck has been spending the night here since the summer_. She doubted that would have gone over well. She hadn't told her mother for the same reasons that they hadn't told most people about their relationship. For once, they wanted to do something special that was just theirs without having to answer to anyone else or come up with explanations.

"You made it abundantly clear around New Year's that you didn't want me with him."

"I did," Judy nods. "And I still don't want you with him."

"It's not your choice. I'm not breaking up with him because you don't _think_ you like him. You don't even know him and you've never made the effort to."

"Well, I guess I've never had a reason to," her mother admits. "_If_ you're going to date him, I have some ground rules. No more keeping things from me. Understand? If I ever catch the two of you in your room with the door closed you'll be spending the summer as a counselor at Church Camp. Are we clear?"

"Yes," she replies, trying to control the urge to roll her eyes. She supposes that it could be worse. Her mom didn't flip out quite the way she expected her to, but then again, flying into a rage wasn't exactly Judy Fabray's style. She was more likely to cut a person down with a single phrase rather than berate them for hours.

"Good. Also, I want Noah to come over for dinner in a couple of weeks. If you're going to be dating him, I'd like to actually meet him."

"Why in a couple of weeks? Why not this week?"

"Because, by then you won't be grounded anymore."

XXXXX

"Hey," he answers his phone later that night. "I haven't heard from you all day, I was beginning to worry that your mom locked you in your basement or something."

"Not exactly," she replies. "But you're not that far off."

"Things didn't go so well?"

"Things didn't go the way I planned for them to go."

She spends the next half hour telling him about everything that happened, the conversation peppered with the occasional scoff or _fuck that_ from him.

"So she made me help her clean all day. I swear, I've washed the inside of every window, dusted every surface and vacuumed. It's Sunday! Aren't we supposed to rest on Sunday?"

"You're like a little Cinderella aren't you?" he asks.

"How do you know about Cinderella?" she teases.

"You know Sara makes me watch that shit with her."

"Uh huh, sure."

"Anyway, when do I get to see you? Are you coming over tonight?"

"Oh yeah, that's the other thing. I'm also grounded for the next two weeks. I can't go anywhere except school, glee and church."

"So then I'll come over there tonight," he says, already reaching into his pocket for his keys.

"I don't think that's a good idea. My mom is going to be watching me like a hawk now. When I told her how you got into my room, I was sure that she was going to take a chainsaw to that trellis if she knew how to turn one on."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Well, she didn't take my phone or computer away so we can still talk or Facebook chat and I'll see you all week at school."

"We don't really have any classes together," he points out. "I guess we'll just have to get _inventive_."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, how do you feel about skipping class?"

"Hmmm, I think it's a good thing that my friends take good notes."

"I like that answer," he grins into the phone and he hears her yawn. "You should get some sleep."

"Good idea. I'm exhausted. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Love you, babe."

"I love you, too."

She sighs and hangs up her phone. She's not sure she'll actually be able to fall asleep though, because this is the first night that they've spent apart since he got home from juvie. She's a little lonely but she can't help but feel good at the same time. They're finally doing things right and at least one giant weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. Now they just have to tell their friends at school. She hopes and prays that everything goes alright. _Well on the bright side,_ she thinks as she fluffs her pillows and pulls up the covers. _At least they can't ground me_.

**Please review :) **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Well it's been awhile, right? It's a little funny because just the other day a friend asked if I would be updating this and I said probably not because I honestly didn't know where I would go with it. Then last night happened and I had an idea. Hopefully, I'll be able to write a few more chapters of this fic. I hope you guys all enjoy this one. Xoxo –Katie

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Glee.

She's doing her homework that night when her phone buzzes on the desk net to her. Her brow furrow as she opens the text message to read the contents. "R u home?" She smiles a little and thinks about how unfair it is that just a short text from him can still make her a little giddy.

"Yes, why?" she sends back, expecting a quick reply but none ever comes. Instead, moments later she hears the familiar sound of her window sliding up and, just like that, Puck is standing in her bedroom.

"Because I wanted to see you," he says simply, finally responding to her question. "Do you always leave your window open?"

"Old habits die hard," Quinn replies with a faint smile, starting at him for a few seconds, making sure he's really there. It's not like it's really been that long since he was in her room, but it's been almost a year since he snuck into her room by way of trellis and window. Most of the time she doesn't like to remind herself of how perfect those months were last year and how she let it fall apart with her stupid and selfish plans for Prom Queen and the disastrous summer and fall that followed. She couldn't remember exactly when he stopped coming every night but for the first time she had really been without Puck and her world crumbled. But just like the other times before, he pulled her out of her misery and helped her even when she really didn't deserve it. He convinced her to apply to colleges and she loved him for it, just like she loved him for everything else he did for her.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, standing from her chair.

"I wanted to tell you how proud of you I am that you got into Yale. Really babe, that's amazing. You deserve it."

"Well I wouldn't have gotten in if it wasn't for you."

"Not true. You filled out the application. You wrote the essay and-."

"And _you_ emailed me the link to the admissions website everyday for a week and a half," Quinn laughs, walking over so she's standing in front of him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Your song today…that was pretty great, too. You really rocked it. I'm glad you finally got your ticket outta here. Told ya you'd be the one most likely to blow this pop stand."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Puck shrugs.

"What are your plans for next year?"

"I don't know, maybe some community college classes here and there."

"Why don't you leave?"

"Well, I mean…I have my pool cleaning business."

"Ugh, you and that pool cleaning business," Quinn scoffs.

"Hey, why do you always have something against my pool cleaning business? You gave me shit about it sophomore year and you gave me shit about it this year? I'm sorry that it's not good enough for you."

"That's just it! It's not about _me_. It's about _you_. It's not good enough for _you_ Puck. I meant what I said two years ago. I should have never called you a Lima Loser. You're so much better than more than half the guys in this town. If you went to school you could own your own business. People could work for you or you could do whatever you wanted."

"Where's this coming from?" Puck questions, making sure to keep his voice down in case her mom is somewhere nearby.

"I'm returning the favor. You're so much bigger than this town. You made me believe that about myself so why can't believe that you are?"

"I don't know, I just…I dunno."

"You told me that I don't need a baby or a _dude_ to make me feel special and you're right. I love Beth and just knowing that even if I'm not with her, even if we're not with her, I know that we were still part of something special and that makes it easier. And I love you. I've never stopped and even though I may not _need_ you, I _want_ you."

"I love you, too. God, it's good to hear you say that again but what about your speech in Glee today? About putting the past behind you?"

"I know that I probably sound crazier than I did this fall but just because I don't want to live and dwell in the past doesn't mean that I don't want you in my future. I mean…assuming that you'd want me in yours."

"Of course I do. You just know how things are at home. No one in my family's been to college before…"

"Why can't you be the first? Set a good example for your sister."

"It'll probably just be some community college. I'd never make it into a place like Yale unless I was the janitor."

"Not everybody has to go to an Ivy League school. You should just go somewhere that's right for you. I'm sure there's one close to New Haven," Quinn muses.

"You want me to come with you?"

"Well I have a hard time imagining doing it without you. But I'm not going to force you to come with me."

"If I didn't go with you I'm sure I'd be driving up there every weekend to see you anyway," Puck smirks, taking Quinn's hands into his own.

"Is that a yes?" she asks, biting her lip hopefully.

"As long as you help me with this application thing, since you're a pro now."

"Definitely."

She's still smiling from ear to ear when he pulls her in and places a kiss on her lips. "Love you," he murmurs.

"I love you, too."

"I guess I should let you get back to your homework, huh?"

"I was working ahead," Quinn says, tangling her arms around his neck. "Besides, I already got into college, right?"

"Damn straight my girl did. So…you want me to stay for awhile?" Puck replies with a hint of uncertainty.

"No," she shakes her head. "I want you to stay for the night. Why do you think I've always kept my window open?"

He slips off his shoes as she leads him over to the bed and they lie down on it over the covers.

"Hold me?" she asks, already pulling his arm over her body.

"Always," he replies, kissing her cheek.

"Love me?"

"Forever."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: How could I not attempt to write another chapter of this after last night's episode? Takes place right where the episode left off. Normally I think this story focuses on Quinn's perspective a little more but this chapter focuses on what Puck is going through. I hope you guys enjoy it! Xoxo-Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

He waits. Impatiently, he checks the clock on his phone for what must be the tenth time that afternoon and paces the floor of the courthouse. He thinks she should be there by now and begins to wonder if she decided not to come after all. He could text her but Rachel seems to be doing a good enough job of that right now. He figures that she probably got caught up checked herself in the mirror, making sure she looked just perfect before she headed out.

They decide to go on with the wedding without her, assuming she'll make it in time to celebrate the reception with them. In a stroke of luck or fate or something else, a phone goes off just as the justice of the peace is about to begin. Mrs. Hudson begins to apologize profusely as she searches through her small handbag for her cell phone, ready to switch it off when she does a double take at the caller ID.

"It's Judy Fabray," she says, sounding every bit as surprised as everyone else looks.

Puck can feel his heartbeat speed up and his palms grow sweaty as he watches the scene unfold before him. Everything is moving in slow motion and he thinks he comprehends the words _Quinn_, _accident_, and _hospital _strung together in the same sentence and he feels like he wants to run away and throw up at the same time. He's only brought back to reality by Finn shaking his shoulder and telling him they should get to the hospital to try to find out more information.

He vaguely remembers how he got to Lima General. He thinks he recalls Mr. Schue instructing Burt to take his keys from him and drive his truck instead and he readily climbs into the passenger seat and pulls out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Burt asks him.

"I'm texting Quinn," he replies monotonously. "I need to know if she's OK."

"Puck, she was in a car accident. I don't think she's gonna answer you."

"Yes she will! She will if she knows it's from me, OK? She's gonna answer me because she's fine. It was probably just a fender bender or something."

"I sure hope so."

"This is my fault," Puck mutters under his breath.

"What are you talking about?"

"I offered to drive her to the wedding after Regionals but she had to go home to get her bridesmaids dress so I said I'd meet her there. If I had just…damnit, if I drove her to her house to her house instead of meeting her there none of this would have happened. This is my fucking fault."

"Puck, you listen to me. This is not your fault. They're called accidents for a reason, hear me? You can't control things like this. I know you love Quinn and no matter how things are when we get there, she's gonna need you. You gotta be there for her."

He bolts out of the car before Burt even puts it into park and is quickly following Carole through the hospital, scarcely noticing that Finn, Rachel and Santana are close on his heels. They all turn a corner and come up to a near hysterical Judy talking on her phone in the waiting room. Ending her call she stands up and allows Finn's mother to wrap her in a hug.

"I'm so sorry for calling, Carole," she says as if she's apologizing for being late to a luncheon. "But I just thought you should know since she was on her way to the wedding and I didn't have anyone else's phone number."

"That's alright. How-how is Quinn?"

He doesn't know if it's when he hears the words _collapsed lung_ or _spinal cord swelling_ that has Puck taking a step back before making his way up and down the hallway, peeking into the different rooms.

"Excuse me," a nurse says once he's almost made his way back to the small group made up of the glee club members that has gathered in the waiting room. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I-uhh…I'm looking for a patient? Quinn Fabray. She was in a car accident and she was just brought in today. I need to see her."

"Are you a member of the family?"

"No," Judy answers before Puck has a chance to. "He's not and I don't want him seeing my daughter."

"Mrs. Fabray please," he pleads. "I just wanna make sure she's OK. I just need to see her."

"No. I think you've done quite enough to hurt my daughter through the past three years and I don't want you to see her."

"Oh _I'm_ the one who hurt her? I'm not the one who let her get kicked out of her home and I sure as hell didn't turn my back on her the way you did. You don't give a shit about her unless she's making you look good."

"Puck," Mr. Schue said, placing a hand on his student's shaking shoulder. "Take it easy."

"No! I need to see her!"

Shrugging off Schue's hand Puck begins to make his way down the corridor again before he's being pulled back by a transported and a male nurse. He hears the nurse asking for security to be called but he's too busy trying to keep his feet firmly planted on the ground while he fights the grip against him to care too much.

"Stop, please," he starts to beg. "You have to let me see her."

Before the security guards can arrive, Finn and Sam and trying their best to get him to calm down and stop fighting against the hospital staff. Tired and defeated he sinks to the floor and buries his face in his hands.

"I just want to make sure my girlfriend is alright, OK?" he says quietly and he doesn't give a damn that he can feel a few tears fall down his cheeks. "I love her and I just want to see her. I just need to see that she's gonna be OK and then I'll leave. Please let me see her."

He doesn't see Carole, Burt and Mr. Schue all speaking with Judy but he figures that whatever they said got through to them because Burt is pulling him off the floor moments later and leading him in the direction of Quinn's room.

"Her mom said she's pretty banged up," the older man says just before they reach the door. "I don't wanna freak you out but I wanna be real with you. She's got some broken ribs, a collapsed lung, some spinal swelling and cuts and bruises. They're gonna have to do surgery to fix her lung but they don't think she's going anywhere anytime soon. Like I said, you need to be there for her and you need to talk to her mom at some point, alright?"

"Yeah, thanks Burt."

Puck takes a deep breath before entering the dimly lit room and checks himself when he sees her lying in the hospital bed. If he didn't know better he'd say she looked like one of those Disney princesses who's just under some wicked spell, but he _does_ know better and he knows now how bad everything is. He doesn't know what kind of machines she's hooked up to but he knows enough to know that she's got oxygen on her nose and the steady beeping is monitoring her heartbeat. To be honest, hearing it is almost reassuring to him as he steps further into the room and pulls up a chair next to her bedside.

He eases himself down into it and reaches out to gently take her small hand into his own. She's got cuts and bruises scattered over her face but even the black, blue and red marks can't mar her beauty to him. Puck strokes his thumb over the back of her hand before placing a kiss to the spot. He doesn't really remember the last time he actually prayed for something, maybe it was when Burt was in the hospital, but he's praying now to a God he's not always so sure he believes in. He's praying that she'll be fine, that she'll make it through the surgery alright and that this is all just a bad nightmare when he feels the fingers he's holding in his hand move ever so slightly.

"Quinn?" he asks hopefully and breathes a huge sigh of relief when he sees her eyes flutter open.

"P-Puck? What are you doing here? How did you get in here?"

"They let me come through the door because the windows don't open."

"Please don't say anything else funny, it hurts to laugh."

"I'm sorry I'm just so _so_ glad you're awake. You scared me so much babe."

"Yeah, well I'm pretty sure I look like a hot mess right now."

"No. You look beautiful."

"Puck I've had doctors coming in here and my mom petting me, telling me everything is going to be alright and that after I have this surgery I'm going to be as good as new. I don't need you lying to me, too."

"Quinn, you _are _going to be OK and I _do_ think you're beautiful, no matter what. How do you feel."

"Like I got hit by a truck," she replies dryly.

"Now who's trying to make the jokes?"

"I think right now they've got me so hopped up on painkillers to feel much. My head and ribs kinda hurt but the drugs are so strong that I can't really feel anything below my knees."

Puck swallows the huge lump that's formed in his throat and just kisses Quinn's hand again, trying to push away the daunting thought that's passing through his mind.

"That's good, I guess. I just don't want you to be in too much pain."

"I can't believe my mom let you in here."

"Yeah, it definitely wasn't easy but Mr. Schue, Burt and Carole talk to her and she let me in for like twenty minutes, which is almost up."

"Don't you even think about going anywhere. If she has a problem with it, she can come in here and I'll tell her to let you stay. I don't want you to leave."

"Good, because I wasn't planning on going anywhere."

"This medicine makes me feel so tired."

"Then you should go to sleep beautiful. You need to build up all of your strength. I promise I won't go anywhere."

Quinn pulls Puck's arms closer to her so that it's draped across part of her body and he has to scoot his chair closer to the bed. He props his arm up on the mattress and rests his head on it as they both drift off to sleep.

**Please review :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 12! I don't know about you guys, but I'm far less than pleased about what they're doing with Quick, especially after this week. I started writing this chapter after Big Brother aired and just finished it tonight, so it covers a little bit of everything. I hope you all enjoy it! Please read and review if you'd like! Xoxo-Katie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. **

"What was that about?" Puck asks, coming around the corner as Artie wheeled away.

"Nothing," Quinn deflects, turning her chair around to force a smile up at her boyfriend.

"Didn't really seem that way to me."

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know that I need to have a talk with my bro, Artie."

"Puck, you don't have to. It's-."

"He's wrong, you know," he says, placing a hand on the back of her wheelchair, not to help her move but just to let her know he's still right behind her without being too obvious.

"Maybe he's not," she tosses over her shoulder. This was the second time she'd gotten into an argument with Artie about being about to walk again and it had heightened since she had started her intense physical therapy.

"Hey," Puck replies, gripping onto the handle of her chair and bringing it to a halt. "Since when do you talk like that?"

"Puck, please. Can't you just take me home? It's been a long day and I'm tired."

"Look, I'm not gonna force you to talk about stuff like this," he sighs as he lifts her up into his truck, folding her chair up and placing it into the back. "You know I'm not like that, but through all of this I've _never_ heard you talk like that. What gives?"

"I don't know," Quinn admits, looking out her window. "Sometimes I just wonder if Artie's right. I'm sure he felt as optimistic as I do at one point and nothing worked out for him. I met a lot of great people at the skate park the other day."

"I'm sure you did, but we missed you at senior ditch day. I mean what the hell kind of senior ditch day was that if you spent it with a junior?"

"I would have just held you all back."

"No way. I'm sorry, Artie's by boy and all but I think you need to take everything he says with a grain of rice."

"I think you mean salt," Quinn chuckles.

"Whatever. My point is that he's kinda jaded. Just like Teen Jesus McHippie VonTwighead. What the fuck is his deal? Saying he was praying for you to accept whatever comes?"

"It still wasn't right of you to threaten to cut his hair off after I told you that."

"Yeah, well if he doesn't keep his distance I'll be doing a hell of a lot more than that."

"What about you? You don't want me to accept my situation?"

"No," Puck shakes his head. "I don't. I want you to demand what you think you want. I'm pretty damn sure you want to walk again and based on what your doctors have said and what I've seen for myself at your therapy, you should demand nothing less than that."

Quinn just smiles and reaches for Puck's hand. He's been nothing short of wonderful to her in the last couple of months. He was with her in the hospital every day after she had demanded he be able to be there and argued with her mother about it. He came early every morning before school and showed up every day after school was over to bring her homework and spend time with her before heading home and starting all over again the next day. He was there when she was finally able to leave the hospital and carried her up the steps to her bedroom when she didn't want to sleep in the converted guest room on the ground floor that first night home. Slowly, but surely, he ever started winning over Judy Fabray who told Quinn one night after he left that "any guy who sticks around through this can't be that bad at all."

"Thanks," she says once they've arrived at her house and he gently sets her down into her chair. "Are you coming in for a bit?"

"Actually, I have to help my mom with something at home but I'll call you later tonight."

It's odd that he doesn't come in, but Quinn shrugs it off because it's not odd that he would have to help his mom with something around the house. She gives him a kiss and wheels herself inside to work on homework for the better part of the evening. He calls like he says he would and before he hangs up, strangely suggests that she wear a jacket in the morning because it's supposed to be chilly. It's not until the next day when he shows up and starts to drive in the opposite direction of school that Quinn decides to question him.

"Ummm where are we going?" she asks. "School's the other way."

"I'm giving you a proper senior ditch day," Puck replies, matter-of-factly.

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm taking you to an amusement park for the day. Not Six Flags, though. I'm taking you to Kiddie Land because there are actually things you can ride there."

"You're actually serious right now?"

"Yes! Why do you think I told you to wear a jacket today?"

"I still don't know how much I'm going to be able to do," she says skeptically.

"That's OK. We'll do what you can and then there's some games and an arcade and shit, too that we can hit up."

Puck drives them the forty-five minutes to the amusement park, stopping at a McDonald's Drive Thru along the way to get some breakfast. Because it's a school day and still relatively chilly, the park is pretty deserted and they're able to take their time and enjoy the clear day. Quinn lets him push her after a while because she doesn't want to wear herself out too early in the day. Due to her injury, she can't ride any of the roller coasters, regardless of how small they are, but there are plenty of other rides she can go on. The staff is patient and accommodating as Puck lifts her out of her chair and into all of the rides. They end up going on the swings four times, the train three times, the tea cups five and the Ferris wheel seven because Quinn loves being able to see the entire park from the very top. They eat corn dogs and split a funnel cake before playing some games and Puck even wins her a teddy bear for knocking over a pyramid of milk bottles with one throw. She laughs harder than she can remember laughing in a long time and by the time they ride the Ferris Wheel one last time as the sun is setting over the horizon, she lays her head on Puck's shoulder and sighs, realizing just how tired but content she is all at the same time.

It's dark when they get back to Lima but instead of driving back over to Quinn's house, Puck steers his truck to his home and parks in the driveway.

"You want hang out here for a little while? My mom made lasagna tonight and I know you actually liked it when you lived with me. Plus, Sara really wants to see you. Only if you're up for it though, no pressure."

"I'd really like to, but…you might need to carry me up the couple of steps to the door."

Puck smiles and nods. He knows how hard it is for her to ask for help. When they reach his front steps he unlocks and opens the door and carries Quinn inside, setting her on the couch so he can bring her chair in, too. They eat dinner with his family and Ruth gently questions her son's girlfriend about how her physical therapy is going. Sara actually refrains from asking any super weird questions and after Puck helps with the cleanup they move on to hangout in his bedroom.

Quinn hadn't realized until they reach his room that it's been a long time since they've been there together since he usually came to her house, even before the accident. She notices that he's moved a few things around to make wheeling into the room easier for her. Puck's pretty proud of her when she insists on getting onto the bed by herself and watches as she uses her upper body strength to transfer herself into the mattress. He turns the TV on before taking the spot next to her and gathering Quinn into his arms like always but they barely pay attention to the program on the screen. Instead, they talk more about their day and Puck has to distract her from thinking about all of the homework they missed. Their discussion is studded with random pecks and kisses here and there and he tried to remember the last time she let him be this close to her since she came home from the hospital. Boldly, he lets his hand travel down her body until it's wandering over her thigh and tracing little patterns there.

"I _can_ feel that, you know," she whispers against the corner of Puck's mouth.

"Well, that's kinda the idea here," he replies with a smirk, capturing her lips with his own. She kisses him back, tentatively. It feels amazing to be in his arms again, to feel this way because it's familiar and the closest she's felt to normal in a long time. His hands slowly inch their way back up her body and she's pretty sure she feels a recognizable hardness pressing against her thigh which causes her to pull back.

"What's wrong?" Puck asks, his eyes still half closed and lips still pursed. "Are you, OK?"

"Yes," Quinn replies quickly, bringing her hand up to her forehead. "I mean, no…I mean, I don't know."

"Hey, babe look at me. If you don't wanna do this, we don't have to."

"It's not that I don't _want_ to, I just don't know if I can. It's not really fair to you."

"How is it now? I'm not doin' this out of pity or anything. I'm doing this because I love you and I wanna be with you and I wanna make you feel good."

"But what if it's not as good as it was before?"

"And what if it's better?" Puck smirks and rests his weight on his elbows. "Like I said, we don't have to do this, there's no pressure but I don't have any ulterior motives other than the fact that I love you and I've missed being this close to you. Even if this is all we do tonight, it's enough for me to be this close to you again."

"I've missed you too," Quinn admits. "Even though you've been here every day. I hate being watched over like a hawk by my mom. I feel like I have zero privacy anymore. She doesn't think I can do anything for myself anymore. At least you let me try. And then when you leave every night it's just so lonely. I've had dreams where you climb through my window again and they're great and then I wake up and I'm alone. You have no idea how lonely it is."

"I think I have some idea," he nods, brushing her hair from her forehead and kissing it. Quinn sighs and reaches for the hem of his t-shirt, letting her fingers ghost over his abs as she pulls it up and over his head.

"That's better."

"Are you sure?" he asks, toying with the bottom of Quinn's shirt.

"Positive," she replies, pulling herself off the bed a bit so he can discard her blouse.

Puck smiles against her lips and kisses his way down her neck and across her collarbone, skimming over her breasts and down her torso. He moves to lightly press his mouth over the scar on the side of her ribs from her surgery after her lung collapsed before he ends up just below her belly button at the waistline of her jeans. Stealing a glance up at Quinn, he unfastened them and tugs the zipper down. After peeling them off her body he takes a second to remove his own and lies back down next to her, running a teasing finger up her thigh, causing her left to flinch a bit

"Pretty soon I might be able to kick you again," Quinn jokes, playfully smacking Puck's arm.

"And I'll gladly accept it," he counters, grasping onto her hand so she can't pull it back.

"What about protection?" she asks seriously.

"I got it," Puck replies. He reaches back into his nightstand drawer and pulls out a condom. "Trust me."

Taking the foil wrapper from him, Quinn wraps her free arm around his neck, pulling his head down until it's inches from her face. "I do," she says, kissing him deeply. "More than anyone."

XXXXX

"I love you," Puck says, kissing and then resting his chin on Quinn's shoulder from behind.

"I love you, too," she echoes, pulling his arm even closer around her. "Thank you for _everything_ today. It was just…perfect."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I know how much it sucks to be stuck in school and home all day every day."

"Yeah, even coming here was a nice change. It was great."

"That's good t hear. What would you think about coming over more often? I was thinking about putting a ramp at my front door. Last night, I didn't have to help my mom with something. I went over to Artie's. After telling him to stop bringin' your hopes down I had him help me look up stuff and dimensions for building a ramp. It's actually pretty easy. I can do it myself and if I take my doorframe off you'd be able to wheel into my room a lot easier, that is, until you're on your feet again."

"Are you serious about that?"

"Absolutely. Why would I joke around about something like that?"

"You wouldn't," Quinn shrugs, craning her neck to look at him over her shoulder. "That would just…mean the world to me. Just the fact that you've been with me through everything…"

"And _will_ be with you through anything. I mean that, Quinn. I got my acceptance letter from Gateway Community College in New Haven. We're gonna be together out there."

"Oh my God, Puck! That's incredible. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because today was _your_ special day."

"I told you that you would get in," Quinn beams up at him. "I'm _so_ proud of you."

"Thanks, babe," Puck replies, suddenly a bit shy at the words of his girlfriend's praise.

"Now today really is the best day ever. I'm so excited to go to Yale but I'm scared at the same time. Now I don't have to be scared anymore because you'll be there with me."

"This is gonna be the beginning of big stuff for us, Quinn. We're both getting out of here and getting the chance to do what we've always wanted to do. Being able to do it together is just going to make it even better."

"It really is," she agrees, kissing him softly. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Please review :)


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